It seems that every child knows that when you brag a little, or talk about something good in your life, it wouldn’t hurt to knock on wood three times, so as not to jinx it or ruin your happiness. Is not it? And if children often forget about this custom, the majority of the adult population of the earth successfully uses it and lives happily (at least, I want to believe so).
Few of those who perform this custom in their lives, at least three times a day, or even more, think about the roots of this ritual, about its root causes, about its origin. Here we are, dear readers, let’s plunge into the depths of history and try to determine where it all began?
And it all started in pre-revolutionary, and even pre-Christian Rus'. In those distant times, barely visible to us, contemporaries, people revered all trees as Divine creatures and sacredly believed in their spirituality. For example, it was believed that the soul of Perun, the thunder god, lived in an oak tree (they believed this because oak trees were struck by lightning more often than other trees). And so people came to this or that tree and prayed near them to those spirits and Gods whom they considered the inhabitants of these trees. Having prayed, repented of his boasting, touched the tree trunk - the man sacredly believed that all his sins had been forgiven, and from now on he, holy and righteous, went home.
This was the time when the custom of knocking on wood began. As you can see, ancient people simply touched the trunks of the trees near which they prayed. And the knock on wood came a little later. When a person speaking in public could not stop in his speeches and was “carried” on the wings of his own praise, then they began to knock on the wood with a large stick to drown out the speaker’s voice. Then the Gods could not hear his self-praise and thus, knocking on wood saved the person from the unpleasant consequences of his outpourings.
When Christianity came, the tradition of knocking on wood was not subject to criticism by church ministers and expulsion from church canons. Moreover, it must be said that this custom has been “overgrown” with a new vision and interpretation. The clergy associated this ritual with the power of the holy cross on which Christ was crucified. And it became a tradition to knock on wood three times - in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And this began to be considered a quick, miraculous defense against uncontrollable boasting. After all, the Bible clearly says, “death and life are in the power of the tongue,” and those who do not speak their tongue can be subjected to God’s punishment. To prevent this from happening, people firmly believed that knocking on wood would erase their sinful speeches (bragging is a sin) and protect them from severe punishment.
It should be noted here that knocking on not every tree can protect against the “evil eye.” For example, the aspen tree, on which, according to research by theosophists, Judas hanged himself, cannot save a person from punishment; it is not clean. Or, knocking on a wooden object, a table that is varnished and polished, is also not considered protective. Because, in this way, the processed tree is already closed to the spiritual world, and is not a happy guide into it.
These are the fundamental laws and rules that we managed to dig up in the annals of history. They also lie at the basis of the origin of the custom of knocking on wood. Now, when you need to carry out this ritual, you will already know the reasons for its origin and the basic rules for its implementation, and you will not be in vain pounding on the table, but will run into the yard and touch a clean trunk, so that it will certainly help.
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Signs accompany us all our lives, even if we ourselves don’t realize it. Many of them appeared among the Slavs in the most ancient times, before the formation of the state of Kievan Rus.
Knock on wood
Wanting to protect himself in some way, a person habitually knocks on wood. This is an ancient sign, dating back to the pagan past of the Slavs. Russian people thousands of years ago believed that some kind of deity lived inside every tree. It could be a forest spirit or a special tree spirit. By knocking on the trunk, the person expressed his gratitude to him for the fulfillment of his desire or cajoled him in advance with the expectation of help.
Ears are burning
People say that reddened ears are a sure sign that someone is discussing a person. This sign also formed a very long time ago. It is based on knowledge of human psychology and anatomy. When a person is intrigued or scared, the level of adrenaline in his blood increases. This causes the skin to turn red.
In Rus' it has long been noticed that anyone who has some kind of sin, at any hint of it, their face and ears turn red. Of course, the secrets caused a lot of speculation, discussion and gossip. The sign was formed as if from the opposite: if someone is already talking about a person, then his ears should automatically turn red. And vice versa: your ears turn red - someone is discussing you.
Cross the road with empty buckets
A very popular sign regarding empty buckets. If someone crosses the road while holding an empty bucket in his hand, it means he won’t have a good day all day. This sign is also very ancient. Many centuries ago, every morning housewives went to the well to draw water. If a woman walked towards you with full buckets, then everything was fine - the well was full. If they are empty, the well has dried up. The fat is in the fire. Now water is supplied to every apartment through a pipeline, but people are still afraid of empty buckets.
You can't say hello across the threshold
This tradition dates back to ancient times, when the ancestors of the Russians buried their dead at the doorstep of their house. There were no cemeteries as such. A person could be buried somewhere in the garden, near his favorite tree, or right next to the hut. If the guest began to greet the hosts even outside the threshold, he could disturb the deceased buried somewhere nearby. To prevent this from happening, the Slavs started the custom of greeting each other only after crossing the threshold of the house.
Spilled salt
Sprinkling salt means quarrels in the house. Many people know the origin of this sign. And even more people believe in it. Previously, the Slavs mined salt in very difficult conditions and only in some remote areas. It was brought to cities and villages from afar, so the price for this necessary product was very high. Salt in the house literally meant prosperity, wealth, so it was impossible to spill it. If someone accidentally knocked over a salt shaker, he was immediately reprimanded for his clumsiness. So the sign was born that spilled salt always leads to scandals.
Don't throw away trash in the evening
This sign was formed in connection with the Slavic belief in witches. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, witches could carry out their dark deeds only in the dark, closer to midnight. For witchcraft, they used a person’s personal belongings, so it was considered a bad sign to throw something out of the hut in the late afternoon. A witch could grab some little thing in the dark and use it in her magical ritual.
A black cat crossed the road
There is another sign associated with witches: if a black cat crosses the road, expect trouble. In the old days, it was believed that witches could turn into black cats and in this form unexpectedly appear among people. When out of nowhere a black cat ran in front of a person, he was always scared, suspecting the presence of a witch. Later, when people began to believe in witchcraft a little less, the sign changed its meaning. Nowadays it is believed that meeting a black cat on your way is simply bad luck. Nobody even remembers witches.
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